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Me and My Shadow, Melvin

I have been pretty busy with foster pups and a foster dog. I have not had a chance to fill my fans in on what is going on here. My Auntie’s Trish and Kim scolded my Momma for not helping me to keep my blog updated. Things are slowing down around here so we have a minute to fill you in on our latest foster, Melvin.

Melvin and his brothers and sisters were found in a dump in Hardin, Montana. They were covered in tar! Who does that? Momma Sheri says that she thinks someone did it to them, because their paws didn’t have tar on them. So it wasn’t as if they walked through it. Their first foster Momma was kept busy trying to take tar off them. Melvin’s sister even had her tail stuck to her bottom! Her foster Momma had to help cut that away. Then it was Momma Sheri’s turn. She would spend hours, after working all day, trying to get the tar out of these babies. The Momma’s call them, “The Tar Babies”

The girl on the left is Melvin's sister who had her tail stuck. Poor Melvin is the ligher one on the far right.

All of the other tar babies would go running up to Momma Sheri when was taking care of them. Not poor Melvin. He would run from her or hide in a corner and try not to be seen. Momma Sheri is fostering so many dogs that she can’t give him the attention he needs to try to be social. She asked my folks if they wanted to give Melvin a little extra attention. They said, “Sure!” If you have read my blog before, you know that my folks saying, “Sure” really means, “Sure, Katie will do all the work.”

This little guy is cute and all, but man is he clingy. I cannot move a step without him being in my face or up in my business. He was such a scardy cat when he got here. Well he’s not a cat, but you know what I mean. He would just sit in his wire crate and stare at all of us. I would go up to the crate and hit it with my paw a few times. Just to let him know I was keeping an eye on him. Puppies need to know where they fit in a pack. I’m top dog! Don’t tell Patch, he hasn’t figured that out yet and that is really for the best.

Anyhoo, the first night he stayed in his kennel alone, he freaked out! He cried and howled and howled and cried. I would do my best to trot out to check on him. Then go curl back up on my bed next to Momma. Big Dog said told Momma, “He can’t keep that up all night. Just like a baby, he will tire himself out soon.” Uh, ya soon never came. Momma got maybe an hour of sleep. She got up about 4am to let him out to play with me. She was a bit grumpy about it, but I guess she was tired of the howling.

Melvin is different because my folks let him run around with me. Usually, the pups are kept in their baby corral with their crate to sleep in. Its important to the folks that he get out and about in the house. He wags his tail when he sees me in the morning, its so cute. He didn’t wag his tail at his other foster houses. My Momma reminds people that he is not wagging for my folks, but for me. I think the little twerp thinks I’m his Momma.

See, I can't even lay down without him being next to me!

He is not so sure of Patch. Go figure. Patch is big and uses his outside barking voice and growls at the little guy. He is wobbly on his feet, so he is kind of scary to be next to you if you are a little one. Patch tries to play with him, but Momma and Big Dog call him, “Grumpy, Cranky Uncle Patch. He doesn’t have this puppy thing down like I do. We can’t all have it.

I’m trying to housebreak him. That is important if he is going to have a home, especially if he can’t be adopted for a while. I take him outside with me when I go potty and he practically stands under me. Patch is trying to teach him to go potty outside as well. They are both boys so he might get it better watching Patch. He has only had a couple very little accidents, which is good considering how much he gets to run around here.

The folks feel bad for him because he always looks scared and worried. Every little sound makes him jump and run. He doesn’t like snuggles and pets like other puppies. He is really standoffish to the folks. They are slowly working to get him to come around.

In the mean time its all me. I’m the one who gets him to play and run around. I’m the one who gets him to wag his tail. I’m the one he curls up with and snuggles with. You know what? I’m ok with that.

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About katie

I was rescued from a hard life on a reservation in southern Montana. Big Dog and Mama brought me into their den to help me learn how to be a great citizen. I have to thank Miss Sheri for bringing me into town and introducing me to Big Dog and Mama. This is my story and I am sticking to it.

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Comments

Me and My Shadow, Melvin — 2 Comments

Katie – You are a hero! Melvin will learn so much from you and then will be ready for a furever home just like you have! Lady learns more from our dog pack than she does from us humans in our house. They taught her it was okay to trust us and they taught her the rules of the house. Thank you for taking the time to update your fans on your busy life!

Katie—Melvin is so lucky to have you. I am so glad that he came to live with you guys because you can certainly show him the ropes. By the way—you are looking especially beautiful in the pictures above!